This invention relates to electric vehicles having regenerative devices for recharging the vehicle's battery. More specifically, regeneration is provided by an alternator driven through the vehicle drive train. The drive train distributes the mechanical output of the constant speed motor between the alternator and the final drive under the direction of the alternator.
Disadvantages of contemporary electric vehicles include the usually limited range and performance capability of the electric vehicle and the high cost of control components. Electric vehicles are becoming more refined in order to overcome these deficiencies. For instance, regeneration and dynamic braking is provided in contemporary vehicles through the conversion of the vehicle motor units into generators. A typical embodiment is to have wheel mounted drive motors that are, upon application of the vehicle brakes, switched to act as generators which in turn are driven by the vehicle wheels during periods of deceleration such that electrical energy is provided to the battery. This regeneration helps to increase the range of the electric vehicle.
The electric vehicle of this invention counters the disadvantages of heretofore known developments in this field by providing a control device that allows acceleration of the vehicle without wasting energy while concurrently providing good vehicle range and performance.